It is common practice to provide on connector plugs and receptacles latching means for latching the two parts of the connector assembly to each other so that they will not be accidentally disengaged when they are in a mated condition. It is also common practice to provide keying systems for connector assemblies comprising a key or keys on one of the housings and keyways on the other. Two connector parts can be uniquely keyed by removing one of several keys from the one connector part and placing a plug in the corresponding keyway in the other connector part.
The latching systems which are in common use in presently known connectors are usually such that it is impractical if not impossible to provide a keying system on the connector parts immediately adjacent to the latching system, particularly if the overall dimensions of the parts of the connector assembly must be maintained within strict limits. Undeer some circumstances, connector assemblies must be provided with housings designed such that two connector assemblies can be placed substantially against each other in a panel opening or on a circuit board. If the endwalls of the adjacent connector parts of two adjacent connector assemblies are against each other, it is of course impractical to provide latch arms on the endwalls of the housings. If one of the housings of each connector assembly is mounted on a circuit board, then one of the sidewalls of that housing will be against the circuit board and it is, of course, impossible to provide latch arms on the sidewall which is against the circuit board. Under such circumstances only one sidewall remains to support a latch arm. It is not practical to provide previously known types of keying systems on a connector as described above having a latch arm on its only exposed sidewall. The present invention is directed to the achievement of a connector assembly having a compact and effective keying and latching system provided on only one of the sidewalls of each housing of the connector assembly. The invention is further directed to the achievement of a connector assembly having keying and latching systems and which is of minimal overall outside dimensions.
An electrical connector assembly in accordance with the invention comprises first and second connector housings, each of the housings having a mating face, a rearward face, oppositely facing sidewalls and oppositely facing endwalls. Terminals are provided in the housings which are coupled to each other when the housings are mated with each other. At least one latch arm is provide on the first housing, the latch arm having a leading end and actuating end and being hinged to one of the external housing walls intermediate its ends. The actuating end is proximate to the rearward face of the housing and the latching end is proximate to the mating face. The second housing has latching shoulder means thereon on one of the external walls thereof for cooperation with the latching end of the latch arm. The assembly has a keying system on the housings for keying the housings to each other. The connector assembly is particularly characterized in that the keying system comprises a plurality of parallel keyways in the first housing and a like plurality of removable keys on the second housing, the keyways being in the one housing wall and extending inwardly from the mating face of the first housing. The latch arm extends over, and is in covering relationship to, the keyways. The latch arm has inspection slots therein which are in alignment with the keyways. The keys are on the one external wall of the second housing which corresponds to the one external wall of the first housing. The keys are in alignment with, and dimensioned to be received in the keyways whereby the first and second housings can be distinctly keyed to each other by removing one of the keys from the second housing and placing a key plug in the corresponding keyway in the first housing. The location of the key plug can be determined from the inspection slots so that the first and second housings can be recognized as associated housings.
In accordance with further embodiments, the one external wall of the first housing is one of the housing sidewalls and the oppositely facing endwalls of the first and second housings are parallel and extend normally of the sidewalls. The first connector housing is a receptacle housing and the second connector housing is a plug housing, the plug housing having forward portions extending from the mating face thereof along the external walls and these forward portions are received in the receptacle recess when the housings are mated. The latch arm extends from the receptacle housing beyond the mating face thereof.
In accordance with further embodiments, the keyways comprise open slots which open into the receptacle key recess and the keys are dimensioned to fill the slots when the housings are in a mated condition.